The Challenge Chapter
by Zekkers
Summary: The 'Spike Problem'- a short story, that turns into a challenge. Oh, just read it.
1. Chapter One- The Wish

"A Challenge Chapter"  
by Zekkers  
  
ZEKKERS@JUNO.COM  
  
Disclaimer: So not mine.  
Author's Notes: This is Chapter One, I actually have an idea for the rest of the story- but so do you. See my challenge at the bottom. Takes place after 'Crush'.  
  
  
///  
  
It was late as Buffy Summers sat by herself in the coffee shop. The other customers had already left, unwilling to risk themselves in Sunnydale's streets at night. The guy behind the counter had long turned off the espresso machine, wiped everything down, and taken out the trash. He was now flipping the chairs upside-down and putting them on the tables while he mopped the floor. He kept glaring at her while he worked, trying to get her to leave.  
  
Buffy just stared at her cup of cappuccino.  
  
Her fingers traced the edge of the cup, brushed the white handle. She picked it up, still staring into space and took a sip. She grimaced, it was cold and bitter. Sighing, she glanced at the street through the window. "Damn you Spike, why do you have to make everything difficult?"  
  
"Relationship problems?"  
  
Buffy jumped, head swinging around to stare up at the man who hadn't been standing there before. He was tall, black, and had startlingly green eyes. He smiled at her, sitting down across the table with complete ease. Buffy looked him over suspiciously. He was wearing a non-descript green polo shirt and blue jeans. He had a gold earring through one ear, and as he smiled again, lacing his fingers together on the table, she couldn't help but notice the large golden ring on one finger with a sparkling green gem.   
  
"I said, relationship problems?"  
  
"No." Buffy ground out. "We don't have a relationship. Spike and I aren't even friends." She paused a moment, taking a deep breath. "HE thinks we do, though. That we have some sort of connection. I don't know where he got the idea. I mean... it's just stupid. Completely stupid." She paused again, glancing out the window. "And he doesn't get it. Sometimes, I just wish...." Buffy trailed off into silence, thinking.  
  
"You... wish?" The man leaned forward eagerly, resting his chin on his folded hands.   
  
"Yeah. I mean, it would be great if he'd just-" Buffy stopped herself just in time, looking at the man suspiciously. He was tense with anticipation. "You're not... a vengeance..." The Slayer floundered, not wanting to say the word 'demon'- the man might be just a regular, if strange, guy. He'd think she was crazy.   
  
He blinked. "Vengeance demon? Oh no. Nothing that... rash." He leaned back, making a dismissing motion with one hand. "I just... grant wishes. For people with relationship problems."  
  
Buffy stood, picking up her purse. "I'm sorry," she moved away from the table, towards the door, "I'm not interested in... wishes."  
  
He stood, looking at her sadly. "It could solve your problems."  
  
"I'm sorry," Buffy replied, as she pushed open the door, "I've gotten- I mean, we've gotten burned before by wishes."  
  
"Ah. Your vengeance demon reference." The man paused, then walked towards her. "I don't normally- but... we could discuss it before you made your wish." He tilted his head a little. "It could fix everything."  
  
"I-" Buffy walked out the door, the man trailing after.  
  
"Of course, you don't have to wish. But we could talk about it."  
  
Buffy stopped, turning around to face the strange man. "I'll talk about it, if you'll tell me why you are here."  
  
The man winced. "I lost a card game, so I had to serve a client of M'ferver's choice. He thought this would be funny."  
  
"Oh." Buffy turned again, heading towards her house. "What if I wish him gone?"  
  
He sighed. "You can, but he'll probably just come back. They always seem to find their way back from where-ever I send them."  
  
"Gone for good?"  
  
"The easiest way to do that is to kill him." The man dryly added, "I will if you want."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No. I mean, I hate him... but I'd just do it myself if I wanted that." She paused, "What do you think will work?"  
  
The man took a deep breath, blowing it out between white teeth as he walked beside Buffy. "Well, usually, the only way to get rid of someone who keeps giving... unwanted attention... is to direct their attentions somewhere else."  
  
"Oh! I can wish him to 'fall in love' with someone else?" Buffy skipped, grinning at the man.  
  
"Yes, but that can be very cruel."  
  
"So? We're talking about Spike. He deserves cruel." The slayer flipped her hair over her shoulder, unconsciously scanning the alley they were passing.  
  
"No, I meant cruel to whomever he falls in love with. There are no guarantees they'll love them back." The man patiently explained.  
  
"Fine then, I wish that he meets someone, and that they fall helplessly in love with each other." She grinned. "And they can make each other happy. See- I can be nice. It's more than he deserves."  
  
Long black fingers rubbed the man's chin. "What sort of time frame are you thinking of? There are lots of people out there he could fall in love with."  
  
The slayer snorted, spying a vamp down the alley struggling with a woman. "I don't care- sometime soon, so he stops bugging me. How about the next person he runs across?" She pulled out a stake. "Could you hold on a minute? Duty calls." She ducked down the alley, quickly staking the vamp before he could feed.  
  
The woman Buffy rescued looked around in confusion before running off. The slayer yelled after her, "You're welcome!" She turned back to the street, sticking her stake back in her pocket. "Never grateful." She mumbled.   
  
She looked around for the man, he was gone.  
  
"Hello? Hello? I thought we were discussing my wish." Buffy humpfed, stalking towards home. "Stupid demon, I hadn't finished. I thought he wanted me to wish for his stupid bet. I mean I hadn't... said... the... words." Buffy blinked. "Oh no."   
  
Realization came crashing down on the Slayer. "That didn't count!" She shouted at the empty street. "Oh no..."   
  
Buffy stopped herself. "Actually," she shrugged, "it's probably going to be fine. No more Spike problems, yea!"   
  
The Slayer headed home.  
  
  
////  
  
THE CHALLENGE:  
  
You write Chapter Two! Spike can run into anyone you want him to- Buffy, Willow, Anya, Joyce, heck, I'll even accept slash- Giles, Xander, Riley, etc. ANYONE. Crossovers welcome. Make it humorous, dark, drama, whatever.  
  
And to keep all my responses together, I'll even post them as other 'chapters' onto my story. Just e-mail them to me in text format (not html or Word documents- make them all ready for posting) and I'll tack them onto this one. Just tell me what story title you want and include your e-mail address at the top of your story (for your feedback). Oh, I will post warnings for all slash stories (so people who don't want to read 'em don't have to).  
  
My only limitation is that I don't want any NC-17 stories. I want everyone to be able to read them. If you really want to post a NC-17 version, feel free to post it to fanfiction.net yourself, just refer to my story for Chapter One.  
  
Have fun writing! I'll post any responses I get starting Monday, I'm out of town this weekend.  
  
  
  



	2. Reply 1 - The Medicine Tastes Bitter

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Richelle and this chapter of the challenge   
started by Zekkers. Everything else belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy,   
and the WB.  
  
Finished: April 22, 2001  
  
Feedback to: python_chick@hotmail.com  
  
Summary: Buffy's wish comes true but she realizes it's not what she really   
wants when she gets a taste of her own medicine.  
  
~~ The Medicine Tastes Bitter ~~  
  
Spike watched as the Slayer began walking home. "The next person I run across, huh?" he asked himself. He chuckled quietly to himself as he took off after her. "Well, look out, Buffy, here comes your destiny." He had almost reached her when she turned a corner and he moved in for the kill.  
  
He collided with her and they toppled heavily to the hard pavement. He stood up, brushing himself off, and quickly aided the young blonde in standing up. "Watch where you're going!" she shouted as she spun around to face him with an angry expression. However, it was not Buffy's angry expression that stared at him, it was a different woman. Spike was taken with her immediately and he had no idea what drew him to her, maybe it was the fact that she was human that intrigued him. He'd never been attracted to a human before without wanting to sire them. He didn't want to turn this one, much less couldn't. *Such a gorgeous flower shouldn't be hidden from the sun.* he thought to himself.  
  
"Sorry, luv," he said with a grin. "I didn't mean to run you over."  
  
The woman smiled back. "That's okay," she replied. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I was having an utterly horrible day up until right now."  
  
"This may seem sudden, but do you want to get a drink?" he asked.  
  
The young woman checked her watch. "Sure, I could spare a few minutes." she said. Spike offered his arm and the woman linked hers through it and made their way to the Bronze.  
  
Buffy walked by the Bronze and stopped in her tracks. She decided to celebrate her good fortune of ridding her life of Spike with a diet coke and nearly two hundred strangers. She sat at the table sipping her drink and listening to the music before noticing Spike enter. She rolled her eyes in disgust. *Please let him talk to someone before he reaches me.* she prayed silently. Then she noticed that a young woman accompanied him. She was blonde, pretty, same height as Buffy, and holding Spike's hand, fingers interlaced. *I guess he did talk to someone,* she thought to herself. *Thank God for that!*  
  
Spike and Young-Blonde-Thing made their way to the dance floor, passing by Buffy's table without even a glance from Spike. They wrapped their arms around each other and lost themselves in each other's eyes, swaying slowly to the much faster beat of the music. Buffy watched them carefully. Finally Spike would quit following her and talking to her like they were friends. *But shouldn't I feel happier about it?* she asked herself. She set her jaw as she watched the couple dancing, smiling, and, oh, kissing now too. This was getting old fast. Time to see if the spell really worked.  
  
She stood and walked up to the couple. "Hi Spike," she said as casually as possible.  
  
"Sod off, Slayer," he growled. "Can't you see I've company?"  
  
"Care to introduce me to your--friend, Spike?" Young-Blonde-Thing asked sweetly.  
  
"This is Buffy, an old acquaintance," he replied. "Buffy, this is--what'd you say your name was again?"  
  
"Richelle." Young-Blonde-Thing replied dutifully.  
  
"Richelle," Spike echoed. "I love that name." Richelle just looked at him with starry eyes and a huge smile.  
  
Buffy held back the scoff that so desperately wanted to escape. He loved the girl, he loved the name, but for the unlife of him, he couldn't remember it.  
  
"Well, I guess I'd better be going now," Buffy said as the two kissed. They didn't seem to notice Buffy's farewell or her leaving and continued kissing. Buffy frowned. "Even Angel and I weren't that bad."  
  
She returned to her table and continued to watch them. They moved so perfectly together, synchronized to each other's movements though they'd only known each other for a few minutes. He was so into her, no; infatuated would be a better word. The way he stared into her eyes with complete adoration and trust, not the slightest hint of hope or fear like he did with Buffy; hope that she might return his feelings or fear that she would most likely not. Buffy became irritated to say the least. Watching Spike moon over another Young-Blonde-Thing made her realize how much she missed the attention.  
  
"You don't know what you have until you lose it," she said quietly to herself. Not that she 'had' anything with Spike, but the truth of the matter was that the attention kept her mind off other things; Riley for instance. She felt so empty when he left and Spike's presence helped fill it, in an annoyingly creepy way. She had enjoyed watching the questioning smile that grew on his handsome face before she closed the door on him that night. *Handsome? Where'd that come from?* she asked herself silently.  
  
The amorous couple left the dance floor and sat down at a table still in view of Buffy. They leaned in close to each other and whispered between smiles and laughs.  
  
Buffy grew to despising Young-Blonde-Thing very quickly. She was too perky for Spike. Almost like another Harmony. *Oh yeah, she's a clinger.* Buffy mused. The waitress came by and she ordered a beer this time. *I'll take my chances being Cave-Buffy again,* she thought. *Maybe she'll beat the hell out of Richelle.*  
  
It wasn't long before Buffy was squinting to focus on the pair. "Damn Shpike had to go move to a different table," she said, not realizing that they hadn't moved, but that she was finally feeling the effects of the seven beers she had consumed. "Shtupid Shpike. What'sh Richelle got that I don't got?"  
  
Suddenly the man that granted the wish appeared beside her, blocking her view of the two lovebirds. "Hey, you're the non-vengeansh demon," she noted after a few seconds of trying to look around him. "You shcrewed up my wish, you know."  
  
"Did I?" he asked, sitting down. Finally Buffy could see the table again but the couple was gone.  
  
"Yesh," she slurred as she frantically looked through the crowd for them. "Thingsh weren't shupposhed to be thish way."  
  
"You said, and I quote, 'I wish that he meets someone, and that they fall helplessly in love with each other.'" the man explained. "I have fulfilled the requirements of the wish, yet your soul is still crying out for help. What else do you want?"  
  
"I wish that Shpike washn't in love with Richelle," Buffy said. "I wish that he wash in love with me again. And I wish that I washn't drunk."  
  
"We'll I can't do anything about the last part, but the rest is done," the man said. "Good luck."  
  
"Thanksh," Buffy said before finally spotting Spike walking toward her table. She smiled and a small hiccup escaped her throat. "Hey Shpike!"  
  
"Hi Shlayer," he mimicked. "I was just leaving so there's no need to--are you drunk?"  
  
Buffy nodded and winced. "Jusht shlightly." she replied.  
  
She picked up her beer bottle to finish its contents but Spike took it away from her. "No way, Buffy," he said. "Not another drop."  
  
"Where'sh Richelle?" she asked.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You shtill can't remember her name?" Buffy asked incredulously.  
  
"Who?" he was growing impatient.  
  
"Richelle, your Young-Blonde-Thing," Buffy replied.  
  
"That's it, I'm taking you home. You're imagining things." Spike said. He helped Buffy stand and guided her outside after she left money for the waitress. "Maybe the fresh air will help a bit." he said.  
  
"I'm sho shorry, Shpike," she said once they began walking to her house. "For being shuch a bitch."  
  
*She's sorry?* Spike wondered. *Now I know she's lost it.*  
  
"I mean, when I shaw you with her, I got jealoush," she admitted. "I wanted the attenshion you were giving her. I wanted to dansh with you and kish you."  
  
  
Spike stopped walking and Buffy nearly fell forward. He pulled her back and she came crashing into him. She smiled at him. "What did you say?" he asked with wide eyes. He prayed that it wasn't just the beer talking.  
  
"I shaid I wanted to kish you. You know, K-I-SH-SH," she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him but he avoided her. "What'sh wrong?" she asked with a pout.  
  
"You're drunk, you don't know what you're doing," he said. "And you reek of alcohol. Not very appealing right now."  
  
"Fine, but I might not be like thish tomorrow." she warned.  
  
"I'll take my chances," he replied with a grin. "Let's get you home."  
  
They continued walking to Buffy's house; well, Spike was walking, Buffy stumbling, so Spike helped her open the door as to not wake her mother or sister. She stepped inside the house and stared at Spike. "Can you help me up the stairs?" she pleaded, holding a hand to her aching head. Her slur was gone, the fresh air sobering her slightly. *Probably her 'Slayer liver' helped filter her blood quicker, too.* Spike thought.  
  
"Sure, can I come in?" he asked.  
  
"Of course," she answered.  
  
He was at her side in a split second, catching her before she stumbled over the first step. After a few minutes of trying to help her stand on each stair without tripping or falling backward, Spike gave up and hoisted her up slowly and quietly, supporting her back with his left arm and her legs with his right. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head in the crook of his neck.  
  
Spike nearly fell over backward himself. Her scent and presence assaulted his senses and he zoned out for a minute. Her silky skin under his hands, her heat radiating off her body onto his, her vanilla perfume mixed with her naturally sweet scent in his nostrils, her calm heartbeat in his ears. Soon they reached her bedroom and Spike was sad that their time together would be cut short.  
  
He sat her on her bed, removed her shoes and jacket, and tucked her in. As soon as she lay down, he turned to leave. "Spike," she called suddenly, sitting up. "Don't go, please?"  
  
"I'll be back, pet," he promised. "I'm just going to get you some water."  
  
Buffy nodded and lay back down. Spike returned a few minutes later with a large glass of water. "Drink this, luv," he advised. "Your headache won't hurt as much tomorrow."  
  
"Thanks," she said, taking the offered glass. Steadily drinking half of it, she paused and set it on the nightstand, cuddling up to the blankets.  
  
"I guess that's my cue to leave," he said. "Goodnight, Buffy."  
  
"I asked you not to go," she said. "Can't you stay a little longer."  
  
Spike lightly sniffed the air. "There's still a few hours 'til sunrise, I guess I could." he replied.  
  
Buffy rolled over, taking the sheets with her, and Spike lay down beside her after removing his boots, and stared at the ceiling. She rolled back toward him, covering him with the blanket and resting her head on his chest with one arm stretched across his stomach. He froze for a minute, unsure of what to do. After a few seconds, he returned to Earth and put an arm around Buffy's shoulders, trying to get as close as he could without getting too close. His plan failed miserably though, and Buffy wound up wrapped in his arms as she pulled herself closer to him.  
  
With a content sigh, she fell asleep and Spike lay there wondering what he should do. Finally he decided that he couldn't escape without disturbing Buffy's sleep and he sure-as-hell didn't want to do that; she looked so peaceful and had the slightest smile on her face. He gave up and sleep got the better of him, with the last flicker of his eyelid, he noted, thankfully, that the curtains were closed over the windows though he didn't remember then being closed when he brought her into the room.  
  
Outside, the man that had granted Buffy her wishes walked away from Buffy's house smiling. "1 for me; 0 for M'ferver."  
  
  



End file.
